I am continuing the debugging of the track. Following the test of the turnouts from the Up main line into the engine shed with the 3F - shown in the previous videos - testing with my Hornby Black 5 showed that all was not well with the double slip. The Black 5 had an annoying habit of mounting the crossing V at the coaler end of the slip. This double slip was the first 'complicated' piece of track I ever built and has only recently come into full operational use. If you look closely at the slip
Chris Yates has finished building the 'temporary panel' for Lawrence Hill Junction signal box, another job done for which I am very grateful. I say temporary because it only controls the turnouts at present as I have yet to build the signals.
Chris has built in interlocking on the junction using relays with LEDs confirming turnout settings and the junction with entrance and exit to the shed yard is now fully operational.
Lawrence Hill Junction Panel
Lawrence Hill double junction
It's been a while since I updated my blog but we haven't been idle. Chris has made two Power Boxes one for the scenic side and a Booster box for the Storage sidings. Each contain a Maplins X21M Power unit, PSX circuit breakers, a DCC Concepts 12v Power supply PSU2 and NCE Units - a 5amp command unit in the main box and a Booster in the other. They do look rather smart.
Main Power Box
Booster Box
Engine Shed Sidings now has a panel for the turnouts which controls the Fishponds banke
I have been slowly plodding on with the storage sidings and have now completed turnout 26 out of 39. The main UP and DOWN sidings are finished as far as the track laying is concerned with a number of buffers to be added at a later date. They are not yet operational as the task of wiring and the addition of digital cobalt's is the next item on the schedule after track laying is complete. Extra sidings are to be installed at either end of the UP and DOWN sidings and the first of these, which leads
Just a quick update on the storage sidings. The total of turnouts built is now 11 with ten now fixed in position in the storage sidings and three of the sidings laid. The turnouts are all constructed using 1.6mm thick double sided copper clad sleepers whilst the sidings are K&L and C&L lengths of flexitrack board joints strengthened using copper clad sleeper strips.
Over the hot weather I have checked all the rail joints on the turnouts and board joints and where necessary I have wid
By way of a change I have spent some time assembling the two kits of laser cut parts for the boiler house and the stores at the rear of the shed these being the last of the buildings provided by York Modelmaking back in 2010. Both buildings are made from 2mm laser cut mdf with hard plastic [Rowmark] for the window frames and brick details which I glue to the mdf. Each building was given a coat of grey primer and coloured using Faber polychromos crayons. The tiles are also from York and are self
The layout is not operational at present as all the power supply units, NCE equipment and circuit breakers are elsewhere for fitting into two power boxes than are being made for me - thanks again Chris!
In the meantime I decided to make a start on the B7R and B7L turnouts for the storage sidings. I am using 4mm wide x 1.6mm thick copper clad strip for the sleeper timbers and Nickel silver bullhead rail.
These series of photos show the latter stages of construction. The timbers have been
Diesels are alright but I thought it about time we had steam so this afternoon my modified Hornby Black 5 44965 stretched her legs around the layout for the first time.
The engine is converted to P4 using Alan Gibson wheels. The Hornby chassis has cosmetic frames - a Gibson milled version - which I attached using strips of plasticard, as spacers, to widen the distance between the frames. The coupling rods and valve gear are the original Hornby ones - I removed the threaded nuts from the Horn
I have a rake of Comet coaches which I converted from 00 using Bill Bedford sprung bogies and Gibson P4 wheels. These coaches are a fixed rake and have now had Alex Jackson couplings added to each end to enable a test run of the complete set. As they are heavy I decided to use one of my converted Bachmann Peaks, D13, to pull the test train.
For those interested the rake is made up as follows;-
Corridor Brake Composite D1720A Restaurant Composite D1811 Open First - Porthole D2160 C
In 2013 I wrote an article for LMS Review on the then new Bachmann 4F. One of the two I purchased was 43875 which visited the Bristol shed.
My intention was to convert it to P4 for the layout and a couple of years ago I purchased an Easi-Chassis kit from Brassmasters and started the conversion. This ground to a halt early in 2017 pending a decision on which method of pick-ups to use. Over the past week I have completed the project - not the easiest conversion to attempt - and
The lift out board - number 19 - has now been fully wired. Power to board 19 is fed via four brass strips on the board which, when the board is in position, make contact with 4 brass sprung plungers obtained from old light bulb connectors. To enable power to still feed Board 20 when 19 is lifted out power cables have been run down the support legs, across the floor and up the support leg of board 20. To avoid the potential disaster of engines and stock being accidentally driven into the abyss a
On Monday this week with the help of my friend Chris - builder of baseboards and designer of electrics - the lift out section Board 19 was fitted to complete the full circuit of the layout and some test trains were run to prove the electrics. On tuesday the local Scalefour Society area group had their monthly meeting and the layout was subjected to an evening of, in the main, successful running a variety of locos and rolling stock. Due to the numbers attending it was not possible to take any sui
Just in time for Christmas here is D41 plus four Bachmann Mk1s on the first test of the Up Main from Lawrence Hill Junction through the storage sidings. The Bachmann Peak runs on a Rumney Models chassis courtesy of Justin and the Mk1s run on Bill Bedford bogies courtesy of Morgan - thanks to you both.
Happy Christmas and New Year to you all.
Robin
I've had a train - Bachmann Peak D41 on Rumney Chassis plus four Bachmann MK1s performing a test run through the storage sidings. The test traversed Board 9 to Board 18 and involved a number of successful forward and reverse moves - I really must register on Youtube and take some videos.
Wiring has progressed further since my last entry with the production of 16 wiring looms for the analogue Cobalt point motors. These are positioned along the double track main line and will be operated from
A bit more progress over the past week with Boards 18 and 20 sorted today. This leaves the lift out section to wire followed by a start on the wiring for the cobalt point motors.
Board 18
Board 18 top view
Boards 17 and 18
Board 20
Further progress on the wiring with Boards 14 and 15 now partially complete. The immediate object is to wire the complete circuit of the double track main line. Boards 14 and 15 are storage yard boards on which the bus bars are now fixed as are the inter board 'jumper' cables. The UTP cab bus units are also now wired.
Board 14
Board 14
Board 14
Board 15
I've just started on Board 16, with just 17 to 20 to go.
Since July, modelling time has been allocated to wiring the layout. The scenic section of the layout consists of boards numbered 1 to 9 and these are the ones I am focused on at present. This part of the layout is divided into a number of power zones - 1 and 2 the UP and DOWN main lines. Zone 5 the sidings alongside the shed; Zone 6 & 7 divide the main yard and Zone 8 the roundhouse. I have added two power buses for the cobalt point motors in the yard which are Zones 3 & 4. Just to give
This update covers work carried out since my last entry. The lift out board has been tweaked to ensure it slots into the layout by the shed door. I have replaced the over catches with a more robust set to ensure the board locks firmly into position.
Black card strips have been laid in preparation for the final lengths of track to complete the UP and DOWN main lines.
The second pair of ' King turnouts' for access to the Up and Down Storage sidings and the Second Crossover are
The first two B7 'King' Turnouts have been installed this afternoon together with the first two metre lengths of K&L flexitrack [ have I had it in stock that long!!]. The track board joints are my usual 12BA brass cheese-head screws through ply sleepers. With the holes are drilled 1.2mm and screwed down they have the benefit of vertical adjustment to the underside of the rail prior to soldering. Each rail is then cut in situ using a fine razor saw. Strips of 0.3mm black card are used as a ba
Both C12 crossovers are now built, one for each end. Starting at the Lawrence Hill Junction end of the layout I have now extended the hand built track onto the first storage yard board to join up with the C12 crossover at that end. The first B7L turnout from the Up Main to the storage sidings is also built and is test positioned in the following photos. I have built the end curves using ply and rivet construction to make sure the gauge widening is correct. All the straight track in the storage s
Since my last entry I have had a rethink on the curved scissors crossover. It is critical to the running of the layout and being on a curve I have decided to simplify the entrance/exit of the Up and Down storage sidings by using a single crossover at each end. These will be C12 1600mm radius one will permit trains to access the down main from the UP sidings whilst the other from the DOWN sidings to the UP main.
My decision followed additional work on the working timetable and following the m
After a great deal of thought I've finally decided on a track plan for the fiddle yard - well the main bits anyway. There will be five storage sidings to the side of each of the up and down main running lines which will run through the middle of the sidings. The sixth track will be a run around loop for locos etc. This also has a pair of turnouts for additional storage into the four corners in order to maximize use of the space available. I am considering putting one or more loco turntables in t
Over the past couple of weeks I have added a 2mm layer of adhesive foam to the remaining boards including the seven in the fiddle yard. My choice of a roll of 10m x 1mm 'Envoy Multi Adhesive Underlay' via Ebay has proved relatively easy to lay and economic at just shy of £18 for the roll. The adhesive layer on one side needs careful handling when peeling back the clear plastic covering sheet but once in place it grabs well and sticks. You will not remove it easily. Made of recycled rubber tyres
I hope you have all had a good Christmas.
I thought I'd share a few photos of the trackwork added during a quiet hour on Christmas Eve.
Well nearly complete. All the track on Board 21 is now in position with just the sleeper staining - Jacobean Dark Oak - and the droppers - Palatine Models - left to do. The track has now crossed onto Board 20 the track ends being soldered to 12BA brass screws which are screwed through the ply rivets. I use a pair of ply sleepers on each side of the trac
Board 21 now has the majority of the track laid - just a couple of 60ft lengths to go. All the track is C&L ply sleepers with functional Exactoscale 4 bolt BR/LMS chairs. I've just received an order for a pack of 500 to complete this board. You will see in the photos lengths of black card which I use under the ply sleepers.The card is 0.2mm thick and 6mm wide and has become my standard practice for track laying following a recommendation by Graham Turner - if you need to adjust any length of
